The 2026 South African Rally-Raid Championship (SARRC) finally gets underway this weekend, with Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa (TGRSA) heading to the INGCO Parys 400 determined to build on the momentum of a highly successful 2025 campaign.

The season opener, based at Stonehenge River Lodge outside Parys on 19 and 20 June, marks the beginning of what promises to be a condensed but fiercely competitive championship. Changes to the calendar, including the postponement of the Stella event due to an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease and severe flooding in the Southern Cape, mean competitors have had a longer-than-usual wait before returning to action.

For TGRSA, the new season brings both continuity and fresh opportunities. Defending champion Saood Variawa returns to the championship after securing the 2025 Overall and Ultimate FIA T1+ titles, while teammate Guy Botterill enters the season determined to convert the pace he displayed throughout last year into championship success. Joining them is young Sa’aad Variawa, who continues his development programme in the country’s premier rally-raid category.

The team will field three GR Hilux IMT EVOs at the opening round. Saood Variawa will be partnered by fellow South African Charan Moore for the first round of the season, while Guy Botterill continues his successful partnership with Spanish navigator Oriol Mena. Sa’aad Variawa will be joined by Wade Harris.

Moore brings a unique motorsport pedigree to the TGRSA line-up. Best known for his exploits on two wheels, he won the Original by Motul category at the 2023 Dakar Rally, becoming one of South Africa’s most successful privateer Dakar competitors. While new to the navigator’s seat in a rally-raid car at this level, his experience in reading terrain, managing race strategy and competing at the highest level of international rally-raid competition is expected to prove invaluable.

The Ingco Parys 400 is no stranger to drama. Competitors have experienced everything from deep dust and torrential rain to severe hailstorms over the event’s seven previous editions. This year’s route once again traverses both the North West province and the Free State, combining fast open sections with more technical terrain, water crossings and narrow farm roads.

Action begins on Friday morning with a Qualifying Race near Race Headquarters, which will determine the starting order for Stage 1 later that day. Competitors will then tackle a route featuring open grasslands, technical sectors, sharp turns and water crossings before returning to the service park.

Saturday’s action centres on two loops of approximately 200 km each, taking crews across open veld, muddy sections, mealie fields and flowing farm roads. With a mix of high-speed sections and technical navigation challenges, the event is expected to provide a stern test of both crews and machinery.

For Saood Variawa, the season opener marks the beginning of his title defence following a busy international campaign that included a stage victory and top-ten finish at the Dakar Rally, victory at Baja Jordan, and several strong performances in international rally-raid competition.

“I am really excited to start the South African Championship. Obviously we won last year, so I am keen to do it again this year. There is a lot of work that goes into it, and I am trying a new co-driver for the first event, so I think it will be a good challenge and a good opportunity to learn together. Our international season has had its highs and lows, but we’ve learned a lot. We got a Dakar stage win and my first Dakar top-ten finish, won in Jordan, and showed good pace in several events. Now the focus shifts back to South Africa and starting the season strongly.”

Team Principal Shameer Variawa believes the team is well positioned for another competitive campaign.

“Winning the championship last year was a fantastic achievement for the entire team, but every season starts at zero. We know the competition will be extremely strong this year and there is no room for complacency. Guy, Saood and Sa’aad have all shown excellent pace, and the GR Hilux IMT EVO has continued to prove itself in some of the toughest conditions imaginable. We’re excited to get the season under way and to see what the year holds.”

The Parys event marks the first of five rounds in the 2026 championship. Following this weekend’s opener, attention will shift to the TGRSA 1000 Marathon event in Stella during July, before visits to the Langkloof, Vryheid and Thabazimbi later in the year.

For now, however, all eyes are on Parys, where another chapter in South African rally-raid racing is about to begin.